Toshiba Launches WiMax-Ready Laptops

Toshiba’s Digital Products Division has launched a range of 4G WiMax-ready laptops.

The machines are designed to give consumers broader wireless coverage, as WiMax is currently available in 54 cities across the United States and elsewhere in the world.

Toshiba’s WiMax enabled notebooks will be available on 26 September at select retailers, according to a company release.

WiMax Ready

The Satellite A665 notebook blends Toshiba’s Fusion X2 styling with multimedia performance for high-def entertainment and productivity. Offering a 16-inch diagonal HD TruBrite widescreen display, a premium audio package, the latest Intel Core processors and optional Nvidia GeForce graphics also includes a suite of features like Sleep and Music for listening to music through the speakers without having to power up.

WiMax will be available on the Satellite A665-S6086, Satellite A665-S6094, Satellite A665-S6097 Satellite A665-S6098 and the 3D-capable Satellite A665-3DV6 models, which start at $804.99 (£513).

The Satellite M645 notebook is a compact PC featuring a 14-inch diagonal HD TruBrite widescreen display, the latest Intel Core processors and a premium audio package with harman/kardon speakers and Dolby Advanced Audio technology.

WiMax will be available on the Satellite M645-S4063 and Satellite M645-S4070 models starting at $759.99 (£484).

The Portégé R705-P35 boasts a 13.3-inch diagonal widescreen display, and a starting weight of just three pounds. The notebook measures about one inch thin and features a raised tile keyboard. Built-in Intel Wireless Display technology makes it possible for users to wirelessly connect the laptop to an HDTV and access digital content with the touch of a button. The Portégé R705-P35 is priced at $899.99 (£573).

A Best Buy Blue Label laptop available only through the big box retailer, the Satellite E205-S1980 laptop now features GeForce 310M graphics processing unit (GPU) with energy-saving Optimus technology. With a 14-inch diagonal LED-backlit HD TruBrite display, the Satellite E205 is equipped with Intel Wireless Display technology, the new Intel Core i5 processor, a slot-loading DVD drive and LED backlit keyboard. The Satellite E205-S1980 is priced at $1,079.99 (£687).

More On The Way

“A WiMax-equipped laptop gives on-the-go consumers the connection speeds they’re used to in the office or at home without the need for additional hardware,” said Carl Pinto, vice president of product development, Toshiba America Information Systems, digital products division. “We are expanding our effort to provide more WiMAX-ready laptops to our line as mobile connectivity becomes even more essential for productivity and digital entertainment.”

In addition to WiMax-enabled notebooks, the company recently unveiled its answer to Apple’s iPad tablet, the Folio 100.

The tablet comes with a selection of apps and services dedicated to media consumption, Web browsing and social networking, and sports an intuitive graphical interface developed by Toshiba to run on top of Android 2.2 (Froyo). The Folio 100, which will retail for €399 (£333), will be available during the fourth quarter of 2010 throughout Europe, Middle East and Africa, according to a company release.

Offering a range of connectivity options, the Folio 100 is equipped with an SD card slot, an HDMI connector, USB 2.0, WiFi and Bluetooth, while a Mobile Broadband (3G) ready version is planned to follow soon. The tablet also features a Nvidia TegraTM 2 processor and boasts a battery life of up to seven hours. A 16GB on-board storage hosts music, videos, photos, emails and other data and is also expandable via SD card.